How Many People Can You Fit In An A330? Cebu Pacific Has The Answer!

Cebu Pacific has placed an order for 16 Airbus A330neo aircraft. However, these aren’t any ordinary A330neos. In fact, they’ll be the densest A330neos to take to the sky. Cebu Pacific plans on outfitting their A330neos with a staggering number of seats.

Cebu Pacific will fly the densest A330neos in the sky. Photo: Airbus

The order

Airbus announced that Cebu Pacific signed a Memorandum of Understanding, or MoU, for 16 A330neo aircraft at the Paris Air Show. This order also included five A320neo aircraft and 10 A321XLR aircraft. For engines, Cebu Pacific has selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000.

Cebu Pacific signed an MOU for 16 A330neos. Photo: Airbus

The most interesting part of the order was the number of seats Cebu Pacific plans to outfit on their A330neos. Cebu Pacific’s A330neos will seat 460 passengers in a single-class configuration. That is one dense A330.

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Cebu Pacific

Cebu Pacific is a low-cost carrier based in the Philippines. They fly to various destinations across Asia and even to points in Australia. Cebu Pacific plans on using the A330neo to phase out their A330ceo aircraft. Through this, Cebu Pacific will be able to increase capacity on select routes.

Currently, Cebu Pacific operates eight A330ceo aircraft. Overall, this represents an increase of eight widebodies in Cebu Pacific’s fleet at the conclusion of delivery. Lance Gokongwei, President and CEO of Cebu Pacific, had the following to say about the A330neo in a press release:,

“The A330neo will give us the lowest cost per seat and allow us to continue offering the lowest fares. Moreover, the lower fuel burn matched with higher seat density will allow CEB to address growing demand for leisure and business travel, by upgrading aircraft and maximizing available airport slots in Manila and other megacities we serve”

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It seems that Cebu Pacific is going to selectively target routes for a capacity upgrade instead of using the aircraft to launch new routes. This indicates that Cebu Pacific will take a conservative approach instead of growing massively.

A330 interiors

Personally, I like the A330 due to its 2-4-2 layout in economy. Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, is going for a tight 3-3-3 to maximize space and fit the maximum number of passengers. Legroom will likely be 30 inches (if not less).

Deputy Content Manager - Jay’s extensive travels and experience of premium products has given him incredible insight into the wider landscape of commercial aviation. Cited by TIME and Intelligent Aerospace, among others, Jay’s focus on route planning and fleet developments allows him to dig deeper into the stories behind the headlines. Based in Washington DC, United States. Follow him on social media for all his latest travel updates.